After hearing this, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but look serious.
The front is Jinzhou. It takes less than a day's journey to the west to reach Jinzhou Camp. Xu Qingyan can obviously stay at Jinzhou Camp and wait for Zhao Junchen to arrive before reporting the news. It won't waste much time, but he just sent out
A messenger was waiting at the fork in the official road, wanting to report the news to Zhao Junchen in advance...
This obviously means that the news reported by Xu Qingyan is extremely important and urgent.
Zhao Junchen did not dare to neglect and quickly summoned the messenger to meet him.
After the imperial guards brought the messenger to him, Zhao Junchen saw that it was indeed a confidant of his own, who often worked with Xu Qingyan. Zhao Junchen no longer had any doubts, and immediately asked for the secret letter and read it carefully.
The secret letter was indeed Xu Qingyan's handwriting. It was densely written on two pieces of paper, and contained various recent news. The sources of these news were different. Some news came from the capital, and some news came from Xingzhou.
Some news comes from Jinzhou Daying, and even news from Nanjing, and the content is both good and bad, good and bad.
Looking at the various messages in the secret letter, Zhao Junchen could not help but change his expression, sometimes happy, sometimes frowning, sometimes serious, sometimes happy.
In the end, Zhao Junchen carefully put the secret letter into his arms, raised his head and looked toward the southwest capital, frowning and thinking silently.
On the other side, after seeing the change in Zhao Junchen's expression, Fang Zhenshan asked cautiously: "Zhao Gechen, what important thing happened?"
Zhao Junchen finally came back to his senses, turned his head and glanced at Fang Zhenshan, and said with almost no concealment: "In recent days, while we are stranded on the front line, many major events have happened in various places outside Liaodong. Xu Qingyan has been staying here
He was in Jinzhou Camp, so he received the news in advance, and because the news was of great importance, and he had already left Jinzhou Camp in advance and rushed to Xingzhou, so he left this information for me.
Seal the letter and inform me of the news."
After a pause, without waiting for Fang Zhenshan to ask again, Zhao Junchen told him frankly: "The news is good and bad. There are two good news. One is the news from the capital that our concubine, Mrs. Ruyi, will be here soon."
I gave birth to a daughter before... This is also my eldest daughter, haha! I have a queen! A daughter!"
As he spoke, Zhao Junchen's face glowed red, and he was overjoyed, but with a hint of regret and guilt - after all, he was not able to be with Fang Ru to witness her delivery.
Seeing Zhao Junchen's ecstatic state, Fang Zhenshan was a little disapproving.
It's just a daughter. After all, she's not a son, nor is she born to the main wife. Can this still be regarded as having an offspring?
But Fang Zhenshan thought about it and soon became happy, congratulating him repeatedly: "Congratulations, minister! Congratulations, minister! Since your concubine can give birth to a daughter now, your main wife and other concubines will also be born in the future."
I can give birth to a baby boy for you, it’s just a matter of time!”
This statement is not only Fang Zhenshan’s true thoughts, but also probably the common thoughts among Zhao Junchen’s cronies and supporters.
Because Zhao Junchen has not had a son and a half, his supporters in both the government and the public are feeling a little uneasy, and even secretly doubt whether there is a problem with Zhao Junchen's fertility.
If Zhao Junchen is unable to have children, it means that no one can inherit Zhao Junchen's wealth and influence. The prosperity of the Zhao family will only be short-lived. Sooner or later, it will completely decline and die. It is impossible to become a noble family, and it will not be able to be passed down from generation to generation.
Taking care of Zhao Junchen's supporters and cronies is naturally a big worry.
And now, since Zhao Junchen's concubine can give birth to a daughter, it means that Zhao Junchen's fertility is no problem. Sooner or later, there will be children and grandchildren who will inherit the family business, and the Zhao family has the hope of becoming an important family that will be passed down from generation to generation.
Honoring oneself is naturally a great thing for Zhao Junchen's fans and cronies.
Seeing that Fang Zhenshan was only thinking about the difference between his children at this time and could not understand his true feelings at all, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
Although he cannot escape the influence of this era, Zhao Junchen also believes that it would be better for him to have a son, but from his heart, Zhao Junchen does not favor boys over girls, and even prefers to have a daughter as his personal little cotton-padded jacket.
But in the end, Zhao Junchen did not show dissatisfaction, but just smiled and nodded: "That's it, I will have a son sooner or later... As for the second good news, news has come from Xingzhou, saying that there is a civil uprising in Xingzhou
It has been completely pacified... and after Xu Qingyan received the news, he took the lead in leaving Jinzhou Camp and rushed to Xingzhou."
Fang Zhenshan was slightly stunned and said: "Brother Xu actually left the Jinzhou camp on his own? But the smooth quelling of the Xingzhou civil uprising is indeed a good thing."
Zhao Junchen nodded and explained: "Xu Qingyan left the Jinzhou Camp on his own and rushed to Xingzhou because he expected that our schedule would be tight and he could not stay in Xingzhou for too long. He had to return to the center of the capital as soon as possible, so he
I rushed to Xingzhou first to inquire about the specific local situation for me in advance, and then I can deal with it calmly after I arrive in Xingzhou."
"Brother Xu, why would he expect that the cabinet minister will have an urgent schedule next? Could there be any other major events happening?"
"Then it's related to the other two bad news."
As he spoke, Zhao Junchen's mood was both solemn and relieved.
After experiencing the kidnapping of He Yu, Xu Qingyan has indeed matured a lot visibly.
In the past, after Xu Qingyan received the news, he would only convey the news to Zhao Junchen as soon as possible. But without Zhao Junchen's clear instructions, he would not find a way to proactively solve Zhao Junchen's problems.
But now, Xu Qingyan has begun to proactively think about the priorities of things, and has begun to work proactively with all his strength. When doing things, he has become more decisive and responsible, and thoughtful.
"But I don't know, those two pieces of bad news refer to..." Fang Zhenshan probed cautiously.
Zhao Junchen smiled reassuringly at Fang Zhenshan and said: "Don't be nervous, saying they are bad news is just for the stability of the court situation and the reputation of the Ming royal family. It has nothing to do with this pavilion. In fact... it is for this pavilion."
In other words, these two pieces of bad news may not necessarily be really bad news."
"Oh? I hope the cabinet minister can give me some advice."
After Zhao Junchen nodded lightly, he revealed more news to Fang Zhenshan.
While telling his story, Zhao Junchen's expression remained calm and calm, but the news he revealed was shocking.
"First of all, His Highness the Crown Prince. His fierce conflict with the vassal princes caused a series of troubles, forcing the imperial envoy to block him in Hengyang City. However, His Highness the Crown Prince quickly escaped and wanted to sneak back to the center of the capital secretly.
I don’t know what he wants to do after secretly sneaking back to the capital...
But when he secretly sneaked back to the capital, he only had a few close associates with him, so as soon as he entered the territory of Beizhili, the Jin Yiwei discovered his whereabouts, and he was controlled again! After hearing the news, His Majesty was of course furious.
He was so angry that he immediately imprisoned His Royal Highness in the East Palace..."
Having said this, Zhao Junchen's eyes flickered and he said thoughtfully, "Perhaps, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will be deposed soon!"
After hearing this, Fang Zhenshan was naturally shocked!
Deposing the crown prince is definitely a major event that will shock both the government and the public!
But when he thought about it, Fang Zhenshan felt a little depressed and unwilling, because he found that this major event that shocked the government and the public actually had nothing to do with him. He was just a fellow governor of Liaodong. Not only was the area under his jurisdiction far away from the center of the capital,
Moreover, his power position is far from enough, so even if the sky falls, it will be difficult to hit him on the head.
Thinking of this, Fang Zhenshan's ambition couldn't help but become more intense, and he was eager to gain a higher status for himself.
He would rather be a tall man who will be hit on the head when the sky falls than a short man who seems to have no worries and can only watch.
But then, Fang Zhenshan couldn't help but ask: "Then who do you think...the next prince will be? It is said that His Highness the Seventh Prince is not only deeply loved by the Holy Scroll, but also has excellent reputation in the government and the public. Could it be because of this?
The Seventh Prince takes over as Crown Prince?"
Noticing the dejection and unwillingness on Fang Zhenshan's expression, Zhao Junchen nodded with satisfaction.
Although in Zhao Junchen's mind, Fang Zhenshan is not the best candidate to take charge of Liaodong Town in the future, but compared to Ximen Sheng, Fang Zhenshan undoubtedly has a more complete personality, a firmer will, and a stronger ambition. He clearly knows that
What he wants and what he needs to do can provide more help to Zhao Junchen, and as long as he understands Fang Zhenshan's thoughts and intentions, it will be easier to control him than Ximen Sheng.
The next moment, Zhao Junchen shook his head with a half-smile and said: "Let the seventh prince take over the throne? A few months ago, it would have been a certainty, but now... it may not be possible! Because the same is true in Nanzhili.
Bad news came. When the Seventh Prince went to Nanjing to worship his ancestors, he interfered in the affairs of the Six Ministries of Nanjing without authorization and completely messed up the matter. Now he is being fiercely criticized by the Nanjing scholars. It can be said that
He is so worried that this has undoubtedly severely damaged his reputation in the government and the opposition, and has also made it difficult for him to return to the capital. If he cannot successfully resolve this crisis, he may not be able to successfully take over the position of reserve!"
Speaking of this, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but shook his head and sighed, saying: "Zhou Shoufu's vision of methods is indeed unparalleled. After he used this series of tricks, the seventh prince actually jumped into the pit.
."
Fang Zhenshan couldn't help but ask: "How did the seventh prince mess up the matter? What does this matter have to do with Zhou Shoufu?"
This time, Zhao Junchen did not explain in detail. Instead, he changed the topic and said: "In short, the center of the capital is currently experiencing troubled times. It is not an exaggeration to say that the earth is shaking! The Nanjing chaos, the prince's imprisonment, and the border troubles in Liaodong,
With the Xingzhou Civil Rebellion, all kinds of major events happened almost at the same time. His Majesty and the officials were all very anxious and arguing, and the situation between the government and the opposition was even more turbulent... Therefore, I must return to the capital as soon as possible!"
After saying that, Zhao Junchen first asked about the direction of the road, and then waved his hand and said: "Governor Fang, let's say goodbye! I originally wanted to rush west to Jinzhou Camp first, and then meet up with Xu Qingyan and the others.
Go southwest and leave Liaodong via the land official road...
But now, I have a tight schedule and must seize the time, so I will head south to Jin County in the south of Jinzhou. There is a fishing port facing the Bohai Sea. Xu Qingyan has also prepared two sea boats in advance.
We will take a boat directly to Shanhaiguan, and then quickly rush to Xingzhou to deal with the follow-up matters of the civil uprising, which can shorten the trip by at least three to five days!"
Seeing Zhao Junchen's eager attitude, Fang Zhenshan did not dare to continue to pester him to stay. He nodded repeatedly and said: "In this case, I naturally do not dare to delay Zhao Gechen's time. I hope Zhao Gechen will be careful along the way and turn danger into good luck after returning to the capital.
All the best! As for the matter in Liaodong, you can rest assured that the official is well aware of it and will discuss it with the Huang inspectors when something happens."
As he spoke, the fork in the official road was already in sight. To the west was Jinzhou City and Jinzhou Daying, and to the south was Jinxian County and Jinxian Fishing Port.
Zhao Junchen was very resolute. After seeing Fang Zhenshan dismounting to see him off, he only bowed his hand to Fang Zhenshan in return, then turned his horse's head and led his guards to run south quickly.
*
When talking to Fang Zhenshan, Zhao Junchen seemed to be candid and disclosed all confidential information without reservation.
But in fact, the secret letter that Xu Qingyan gave to Zhao Junchen contained not only four news: Fang Ru gave birth to a daughter, the Xingzhou civil uprising was put down, the prince was imprisoned, and the seventh prince Zhu Hejian was in trouble in Nanjing City.
In addition, Xu Qingyan also informed Zhao Junchen of two other pieces of news in secret letters.
These two pieces of information were more confidential and critical, so Zhao Junchen deliberately concealed them.
The first is the change in the situation in Jinzhou Daying.
According to Xu Qingyan, during his stay in Jinzhou Camp, he did many things one after another. Not only did he further win over Wu Jiyun, a member of the Liaodong Iron Cavalry, but he also helped Wu Jiyun get closer to the various forces in Jinzhou, allowing him to
Wu Jiyun successively received strong support from another Liaodong cavalry Qianhu Yan Zhen, the Liaodong governor Wang Shizhen, the eunuch Yao Rang, and the Liaodong inspector Huang Ke. They also used the military depot materials of the Jinzhou camp to help Wu Jiyun gather the troops.
Many of He Yu’s old ministries.
In this way, Wu Jiyun became the most important military attache in the Jinzhou camp. Although he did not lead his troops to the front line of Fushun to kill the enemy and make meritorious deeds, he also promptly quelled the "rebellion" of the former Jinzhou garrison Peng Ji, so he still
He is very hopeful to take over the defensive position of Jinzhou.
Once Wu Jiyun is allowed to successfully take over the garrison position in Jinzhou, it is equivalent to letting Zhao Junchen secretly control the base camp of Liaodong Town. Coupled with the gradual implementation of the Liaoning pay reform plan, and the various arrangements Zhao Junchen left in Liaodong...
I believe that in another three to five years, Zhao Junchen will be able to gradually tame the behemoth of Liaodong Town.
At the same time, the huge amount of gold that Zhao Junchen collected from the Jinzhou Daying Army Depot has been sent to Jinxian Fishing Port by Xu Qingyan in advance. Now it has been loaded on the ship, and he is waiting for Zhao Junchen to personally arrive at the fishing port.
Escort.
It was precisely because Xu Qingyan properly handled the situation in Jinzhou Camp that Zhao Junchen could leave with peace of mind and did not have to rush to Jinzhou Camp again to finish the mess.
The second is the specific situation of the Xingzhou Civil Uprising.
According to the intelligence coming from the capital center, when the Xingzhou government reported the news of the civil uprising to the court, it immediately caused an uproar. The officials of the "Zhao Party" were all caught off guard, and the major factions in the DPRK were also unprepared.
, but only the "Zhou Party" officials seemed to have anticipated this situation in advance and took action immediately.
When Zhou Shangjing went south to inspect, the "Zhou Party" was headed by Song Qiwen, the Minister of Civil Affairs. This person had always been low-key and was known as Zhou Shangjing's shadow, but this time he was particularly active and had an unprecedented tough attitude.
He immediately led the "Zhou Party" officials to criticize Zhao Junchen's agricultural reform policy.
Zhao Junchen's agricultural reform policy originally harmed the interests of the wealthy gentry families in various places, and all the officials were secretly dissatisfied. When they saw that Song Qiwen took the lead in criticizing, they also expressed their support.
In this way, no matter how hard the "Zhao Party" officials defended themselves, they were completely at a disadvantage. Zhao Junchen's agricultural reform plan may be completely overturned at any time, and Song Qiwen also gained popularity among the government and the public because of his performance.
Big rise.
For Zhao Junchen, this is undoubtedly real bad news.
If Song Qiwen was allowed to overturn the agricultural reform, Zhao Junchen would not only lose face, but also bear the responsibility for the civil unrest in Xingzhou. If the food shortage in the Ming Dynasty became more serious in the next few years, Zhao Junchen would suffer because of the agricultural reform.
After being overthrown and unable to come up with enough food to help the people, it will be a disaster!
In fact, since Zhao Junchen and Zhou Shangjing left the capital one after another, Song Qiwen has become the most dazzling person among the officials. He will actively express his position no matter what happens and spare no effort to win over all parties and accumulate reputation for himself.
Emperor Deqing originally wanted to take advantage of Zhao Junchen and Zhou Shangjing's departure from the capital to further suppress ministerial power and expand imperial power. However, Song Qiwen was actually prepared and used both hard and soft tactics to stabilize the situation, and his responsible performance also enhanced the
Song Qiwen's prestige among officials.
After Emperor Deqing's plan to expand imperial power was blocked by Song Qiwen, he was naturally very dissatisfied. So when Song Qiwen once again took the lead in criticizing Zhao Junchen's agricultural reform plan, Emperor Deqing did not express support, but was more inclined to defend it.
, wanting to wait until Zhao Junchen returns to the capital before making a decision.
It can be said that without the secret protection of Emperor Deqing, Zhao Junchen's agricultural reform plan would have been completely disrupted by Song Qiwen.
It is because the agricultural reform policy may be overturned by Song Qiwen at any time, so Zhao Junchen is eager to return to the capital.
At the same time, after receiving this news, Zhao Junchen had already determined in his heart that the civil unrest in Xingzhou must be related to the "Zhou Party" forces, so he must return to the capital as soon as possible to stabilize the situation and fight back.
*
In this way, driving at full speed, Zhao Junchen arrived at Jinxian Fishing Port in the south of Jinzhou in just over a day.
Xu Qingyan has made great progress, and is becoming more and more meticulous in his work. Not only has he prepared two ships for Zhao Junchen in advance, but he has also prepared various chores for the departure, so Zhao Junchen arrived in Jin County.
After arriving at the fishing port, you don’t need to waste much time and you can board the ship and set sail directly.
After Zhao Junchen only briefly checked the status of the ship and the amount of gold, he quickly left the fishing port by boat and headed towards Shanhaiguan.
As the ship gradually left the fishing port, Zhao Junchen stood at the stern of the ship and watched the horizon of Liaodong gradually disappear. He couldn't help but feel complicated and thought to himself: "There is another benefit to leaving Liaodong by sea, that is
Save me from passing by Hujiazhuang again...
During this trip to Liaodong, I have done many things that I feel guilty about, just like the people of Hujiazhuang. I was obviously determined to uphold justice for them, but in the end I just made them endure more suffering. If I pass through Hujiazhuang again
If so, I really don’t know how I should face those innocent people... and the people in the North Road Defense Area of Liaodong Town. The war they suffered was also caused by my own hands. One general’s success will lead to tens of thousands of bones being withered.
Maybe I'll try my best to make up for it in the future...
Now I just hope that the few seeds I buried in Liaodong can take root and sprout as soon as possible and play a role, and the conscience and bottom line I discarded are worth it..."